Derby Gear Hits D.C. With Department of Skate

WASHINGTON (CBSDC) — A new store in D.C. is hoping to cash in on one of the country’s fastest growing sports.

The Department of Skate, a roller derby sporting goods store, opened Feb. 16 in Chinatown and caters to a sport that is rapidly growing, especially in the D.C. area.

“In 2009 there were a few hundred leagues. Now there are more than 1,000 around the world,” said Department of Skate co-owner Adrienne Schreiber. “D.C.’s got eight or so, and that’s just leagues alone. The sport is taking off, which means it brings around junior leagues, men’s leagues … everyone wants in on it because it’s awesome.”

Schreiber and fellow co-owner Yvonne Dailey are no strangers to the sport. They skate for team Scare Force One, a member of the D.C. Roller Girls league, which formed in 2006.

The women have their own official derby nicknames — Schreiber goes by ‘Velocity Raptor’ when she’s on the track; Dailey uses ‘Helena Handbag’ — which they said is a roller derby rite of passage.